APD Bomb Squad finds cell phone in suspicious package

February 23, 2012

Streets were blocked off in front of and behind the United States Post Office in Sweetwater around lunch time on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012. Police officers and sheriff's deputies blocked the streets and talked to postal workers while an engine from the Sweetwater Fire Department stood by. A suspicious package was left outside of the Nolan County Courthouse and was picked up by a postal employee and brought to the post office. (Photo by Tatiana Rodriguez)

The Abilene Police Department Bomb Squad robot destroyed a suspicious package in Sweetwater Wednesday afternoon.
"It was taped up with some black electrical tape and athletic tape, and did not have a proper label on it," said Det. Lance Richburg of the Sweetwater Police Department.
Sweetwater PD called in the Abilene Police Department Bomb Squad after a postal employee picked it up at the Nolan County Courthouse and brought it to the post office.
"Once the postal employee began looking at the package more closely, he became concerned and left it in the parking lot," Richburg said.
Police were on high alert Wednesday, just a day after several protesters gathered outside the Nolan County Courthouse.
"There were some hard feelings, and this package was actually placed in a bin at the courthouse," Richburg said.
The road was shut down in front of the post office and several buildings were evacuated in downtown Sweetwater.
"I felt like we were secure, or we would have been notified," said Vicki Pyburn, who lives in Sweetwater near the post office.
Once the package was destroyed, the bomb squad found only a cellphone inside.
"It was what we call a success. Makes our truck and our robot very worth the money and the time we spend training with it," said Lt. Gary Bone of the APD Bomb Squad.
The road and post office were reopened shortly after it was determined the package wasn't dangerous.

Comments

It is crazy how money needs to be wasted on issues like these. I think that there are things that people should be responsible for and that includes their packages and cell phones so that people don't think they are bombs.

When the bomb squad and robots are called out because of a suspicious package and it turn out to be a phone because some people believe winning is easy it is good news but a horrible prank.